1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to reinforced, foldable containers for use in shipping objects and the like.
2. State of the Prior Art
When packing articles to be shipped in trucks, for example, it is convenient to use large-sized containers which are mounted on skids or pallets. The containers are typically used to pack relatively large or heavy objects, which may include such automotive parts as fenders, for example. Typically, the large containers are often manufactured from corrugated board providing a relatively lightweight shipping box which reduces the cost of transporting articles. In view of the size of the containers and the objects to be transported in them it is often necessary to provide reinforcing members within the structure. Additionally, the cost of a corrugated board container is relatively less expensive than that of a comparable size wooden container which has in the past been used to transport heavy articles.
Since the containers are often mounted on skids or pallets, the base of the box may have dimensions of five feet by seven feet. Thus, it is convenient to have a box which is foldable so as to reduce the volume which the box take up when it is stored. Such folding box constructions are well known in the prior art and have been used with great success for transporting large or heavy articles.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,514,030, issued May 26, 1970, discloses a shipping container constructed of corrugated board having a base which is secured to a pallet and foldable side walls. The side walls carry posts in which slots are provided for insertion of the end walls of the container. If it is desired to store the box in a collapsed form, the end walls must be removed from the posts.
Another typical box construction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,583,626, issued June 8, 1971, in which a cardboard box is provided with a reinforcing frame at its end portions. The frame includes a generally rectangular assembly having side cleats attached to the side walls and top and bottom cleats secured to respective top and bottom flaps. No horizontal reinforcement is provided on the end walls of the container.
The container configuration disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,147,908, issued Sept. 8, 1964, employs reinforcing members provided at the corners and horizontally along the side walls of the box. Other known containers include reinforcement members attached to walls which are themselves independently secured to the base or formed integrally with the base portion.
It is desirable to provide a corrugated board container having an interlocking framework which reinforces the box structure and which permits collapsing of the box for storage. Such a framework strengthens the individual walls of the container while providing a substantially rigid framework for the entire container assembly. In order to provide the desired strength in a collapsible container, the framework must be arranged in a particular interlocking relationship.